by our College Data Analytics TeamA lot of students are not billed the complete price tag of a school. Rather, they are presented a financial aid deal that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The total price of attendance at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts can feel tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students receive some sort of financial help.
What financial aid options can PAFA offer, and what will you qualify for? Keep reading for more information. Keep reading to find out just how much financial aid will be open to you.
Your financial aid package, which may contain grants and scholarships, will be determined on your financial need. The information provided on this page can help you determine how much aid you may receive from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Aid such as grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships helps colleges decrease the real cost of attendance for most students. Keep in mind that certain forms of assistance are more beneficial than others, and aid amounts differ from student to student.
For freshmen starting at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 100% of new full-time first-years were awarded at least some aid around 18 students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 100% | $24,785 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 100% | $21,750 |
| Federal Pell grants | 78% | $2,858 |
| State/local grants | 22% | $2,340 |
| Federal student loans | 56% | $5,716 |
Grants and scholarships are the most valuable form of aid because, unlike loans, they never have to be repaid. At PAFA, about 100% of undergraduate students received gift aid averaging $24,541 (among about 99 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 100% | $24,541 |
| Federal Pell grants | 35% | $5,158 |
| Federal student loans | 65% | $6,738 |
Title-IV recipients living on campus saw average grant aid of $23,652.
Because need-based aid scales with family income, what students actually pay differs sharply across income brackets.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $44,635 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $41,650 |
| Over $75,000 | $46,862 |
Each figure is the net price after grants and scholarships, not the published sticker price.
Net price is the average annual cost after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published cost of attendance — the figure closest to what a typical aid-receiving student actually pays.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $42,454 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $35,641 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit PAFA’s net price tool: www.pafa.org/school/admissions/financing-your-education/net-price-calculator.
The middle student in the debt distribution at PAFA owes $19,500 in federal loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $19,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $22,309 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $236.51/mo |
Under a standard ten-year plan, the median graduate’s monthly payment lands near the figure above.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. The percentiles below describe the cumulative federal debt distribution for borrowers at PAFA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,771 |
| 25th percentile | $9,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,500 |
How much a student borrows depends heavily on family income, first-gen status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
These indicators are derived from the underlying debt data and summarize the overall picture at PAFA.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. The annual Stafford volume below reflects program activity at PAFA:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 1217 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $37,418,874 |
GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the two federal aid programs targeted at military-affiliated students.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 3 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $65,218 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $21,739 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.